Master shoemaker The master shoemaker whose extravagant designs adorned the well-heeled royalty and Hollywood celebrities Mehmet Kurdash produced sumptuous, handmade footwear whose quality would endure for generation. In 1950s, Kurdash came to London and rapidly progressed to setting up his own business. He named his distinctive shoes after the Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida whose sensual allure and glamour he strove to emulate with his designs. Kudash's Gina shoes became popular with boutiques and departmental stores. In 1990s Kurdash's design and brand became ever more outlandish and adorned the feet of world's extrovert rich women from St Tropez to Riyadh from his shop in Old Bond Street, London and then, in 2009, in Dubai. Mehmet Kurdash was born to a religious, farming family in Peristerona, a village, north of Cyprus.